Popeyes Becomes Major Sponsor of World-Famous New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival

Popeyes® Chicken & Biscuits, a division of AFC Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq: AFCE), announced today that it will become a major sponsor of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, the annual springtime event that showcases the music, food, crafts and culture of Louisiana. In 2002, Jazz Fest attracted more than 500,000 people to its 10- day celebration, which included seven days of the Heritage Fair, the Festival's outdoor component; numerous educational seminars; evening concerts; and an opening-night gala. In 2003, the Jazz Fest's Heritage Fair, held at the Fair Grounds Race Course, will expand from seven to eight days, thanks to the commitment from Popeyes to sponsor a new opening day -- Thursday, April 24, 2003.

The 2003 festival dates are Thursday, April 24 - Sunday, May 4. In addition to sponsoring the new opening day of Jazz Fest, Popeyes will sponsor the impressive Blues Tent and sell Popeyes crawfish etouffee at the Heritage Fair in 2003, 2004 and 2005.

Joe Scafido, Chief Marketing Officer for Popeyes, is excited about the partnership between Popeyes and the Jazz Fest. "Both Popeyes and Jazz Fest are New Orleans icons who are in the business of delivering the rich cultural elements of New Orleans to the world," he said. "Popeyes' sponsorship of Jazz Fest is a natural fit, and we look forward to promoting this new day at Jazz Fest to lovers of New Orleans culture everywhere."

Popeyes was founded in New Orleans 30 years ago and now has 1,672 restaurants in 42 states, 22 countries, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico (with 69 locations in the New Orleans area).

"We have wanted to add an eighth day for a while, but until Popeyes signed on as our major sponsor for opening day, the cost of producing another day of the massive, multi-stage Heritage Fair was prohibitive," said Quint Davis, producer of the world-famous annual event.

Previously, the first weekend of Jazz Fest was held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with the second weekend stretching from Thursday through Sunday.

"Jazz Fest is grateful to Popeyes for making it possible to add a new day to the festival schedule," added Davis.

Annually, Jazz Fest generates approximately $300 million in economic impact for the City of New Orleans.

"We are thrilled that Popeyes is making such a momentous effort to support the culture and economy of New Orleans," said New Orleans Fire Chief Warren McDaniels, president of the Board of Directors of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation, Inc. "I can think of no other New Orleans-born business that does more than Popeyes to bring the culture of Louisiana to the world."

Tickets for the 2003 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival go on sale Friday, February 21.

Popeyes is a division of AFC Enterprises, Inc., the franchiser and operator of 3,970 restaurants, bakeries and cafes in the United States, Puerto Rico and 30 foreign countries under the brand names of Popeyes® Chicken & Biscuits, Church's Chicken™, Cinnabon®, Seattle's Best Coffee® and Torrefazione Italia® Coffee. AFC's primary objective is to be the world's Franchiser of Choice® by offering investment opportunities in highly recognizable brands and exceptional franchisee support systems and services. organization, is the proud presenter of the annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. The Foundation uses proceeds from the Festival to develop and support special projects designed to preserve and perpetuate the area's rich music and cultural heritage. For information on the Foundation and its programs, visit www.nojhf.org or call 504/522-4786.

Jazz Fest plans to begin listing a limited number of hotel rooms at special rates in the coming weeks at www.nojazzfest.com , the official website of the Festival, which presents up-to-the-minute Festival information and much more.